00:00Gaurav, you know, when you speak of India and Japan, one needs to also address or rather speak on the fact that India and Japan are a part of the Quad.
00:10Given the current circumstances that we are witnessing, would you say this meeting may also have an underlying power struggle between the two blocks,
00:19given that the first particular point that's been raised by the Russian president the minute he's landed in Tiandrin is speak about BRICS
00:28and how BRICS is becoming more and more important in the region?
00:36Oh, undoubtedly. But you notice one thing. Whether it's Quad, India is central to Quad.
00:43Whether it's BRICS, a founding member of the BRICS. Whether it's the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a very critical member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
00:52So, there may be very diverse groupings and of very divergent views. The central, you know, message everywhere, virtually in every group,
01:01is the significance or rising importance of India. Do keep in mind, India is the fastest growing large economy in the world
01:08and engaging with India becomes important for everybody. Now, as far as BRICS is concerned,
01:13America is very worried about the rise of BRICS. While the Chinese and the Russians are talking about a common currency or a BRICS currency,
01:23you know, India is very clear. As of now, there is no talk of de-dollarization, point one. Point two,
01:28strengthening BRICS, very significant. As some argue, even more powerful than the G7 group of nations.
01:35It is, you know, the world's largest segment of population coming together from this region. Largest economies coming from this region.
01:45When this grouping was formed, so initially it was Brazil, Russia, India, China, then South Africa joined later.
01:51And then more countries are not only joining, but more countries want to join this grouping.
01:56And that show how important BRICS as a grouping is, making even America very uncomfortable.
02:01At the same time, India is central to Quad. The Quad summit was to take place in India last year.
02:06But since it was Joe Biden, you know, his tenure as President of the United States was ending,
02:12he wanted to host the Quad summit in the United States of America.
02:16So Quad, India's hosting, happened in the United States of America last year.
02:20India is the host this year. But given the uncertainty around Quad, there are three members who are strong.
02:26India, Australia and Japan. While America is very strong,
02:30but given the current trade tensions between the two countries, will they move forward in that direction?
02:36It depends. India wants a very strong bonding with every country.
02:40Does America want to reciprocate? Remains the big question.
02:43May I also quickly add here, even when you look at India-America relations,
02:48there are three very important prongs to that relationship.
02:50You know, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi had gone to the United States of America in February,
02:55when Donald Trump swearing in was over, there were three major paths or prongs of that compact
03:01between India and the United States of America when they talked of an agreement,
03:05a bilateral trade agreement in some form by fall.
03:08Trade was one aspect. Technology was the second.
03:11And strategic and defense cooperation was the third.
03:13So strategic and defense cooperation going strong.
03:15Joint exercises are happening.
03:17India is talking about inking a $1 billion jet engine, fighter jet engine deal for the G404 engines
03:22with the United States.
03:24High technology cooperation is happening in terms of a satellite and NASA and ISRO cooperation.
03:30That's happening.
03:30Trade is the only one which is bringing this relationship down.
03:34But will it bring it down to the extent that the overall strategic partnership suffers?
03:40Well, the ball is in America's court.
03:41But overall, BRICS is strong, SCO remains a very important grouping
03:46and Quad is something that India is very keen on with other countries.
03:50As long as there's no one country dictating rules of engagement to others
03:55and India is too strong a country for America to dictate terms to India too,
04:00that's something that India is very clear about.
04:02That is where India has always been very vocal about the requirement of a multipolar world order.
04:08That is where it comes in.
04:10Gaurav, I would also want to, in fact, just quickly bring in a breaking news here
04:15before I proceed with you, wherein reports have come out to say
04:18that Trump may, in fact, skip the Quad visit to India.
04:22This is big breaking coming in, viewers, that we're bringing to you.
04:25The reports have suggested Donald Trump may be skipping the Quad visit to India.
04:30You know, Gaurav, we were just speaking of the Quad summit in India.
04:34Now, reports are suggesting that Trump may be skipping Quad.
04:38How are we looking at this very particular development?
04:42And if this indeed is to play out to be true in the upcoming days,
04:46what does it say about the India-US relations at this given point,
04:50given that it's already been quite affected in the negative aspect
04:56with the tariff war, with the trade war that is currently underway?
04:59So, there were some reports that seem to come from the United States of America.
05:08Are these just pressure tactics from the United States,
05:11or is he very serious that he wants to skip the Quad summit?
05:15President Trump will have to decide that.
05:17And then this would also indicate that the Indo-Pacific,
05:20as far as America is concerned, they are furiously backpedaling.
05:25If you recently noticed, even Caroline Levitt, the White House spokesperson,
05:29some days back used the word Asia-Pacific and not Indo-Pacific.
05:34And Indo-Pacific was a term which was specifically coined
05:37when America did this pivot to Asia and said India is very central to that pivot to Asia.
05:43So, you know, strategic affairs analysts, they were noticing these subtle changes happening,
05:48and that seemed to indicate that America is backpedaling on the issue.
05:52And is this because America also realises that they'd rather focus,
05:57one, inward, two, on trade, and three, it's a huge loss of face for US President Donald Trump
06:03in case he wants India to say that, yes, he ensured the ceasefire
06:08and that he had a critical role to play,
06:10and then recommend him for a Nobel Peace Prize, in a way,
06:14the way other countries have kowtowed to America,
06:17if he expected India to kowtow to him and India did not,
06:21and he's taken this personally, and that's impacting the relationship overall,
06:26then that would just indicate that India will have to ride out this storm
06:29in more ways than one for the next three and a half years.
06:32And while India does enjoy bipartisan support in the US Congress,
06:36will we actually see America backpedal on some of these aspects?
06:42We still do not know.
06:43A lot of this pans out.
06:45And also with Trump, he may say a lot and not mean it,
06:49and he may not say much and yet mean it.
06:51So we do not know.
06:52He may say, I'm backing out now, or indicate he's backing out,
06:55and later, if there's a deal, and he may come again.
06:58So, you know, with him, it's each day, you deal with it differently.
07:02There are some American analysts who've also said,
07:05there's a term in trade called Taco Trump,
07:09and that's Trump always chickens out.
07:10If you stand up to him, he chickens out.
07:12So will he chicken out?
07:13Oh, since it's so vocal, so open,
07:17the loss of face is so apparent,
07:19and India standing up has been noticed by the entire world,
07:22then we may have to ride out this storm for the next three years.
07:25But do keep in mind, I mean, you know,
07:27when we were covering the Kargil War of 1999,
07:29and the Pokhran test of 1998,
07:31we saw American sanctions,
07:33and I was reporting in 1998, 1999,
07:37how the entire Sea King and Sea Harrier fleet
07:39of the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy,
07:41you know, the Sea King's helicopters of the Indian Navy,
07:44the Sea Harrier aircraft of the Indian Navy,
07:47the entire fleet was grounded
07:49because America and England refused to give us spares
07:52during the sanctions.
07:54However, India was able to ride out that storm,
07:57and then the relationship was built
07:59with Next Step and Strategic Partnership
08:01and Civil Nuclear Deal and Comprehensive Partnership.
08:04It's almost like reinventing the wheel,
08:06or, you know, that wheel, it goes up,
08:07it comes down, and then it goes up again.
08:09But India is able to ride out,
08:11and in each case, India emerges stronger.
08:14We've emerged stronger from 1999 to 2025.
08:18Even if things go, you know,
08:20are not on an even keel right now,
08:21they will ultimately ensure that India emerges stronger,
08:25even through hardships,
08:27and develops other relationships and partnerships.
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